The Blood Ritual Alchemists
by SakuraSamuraiGirl
Summary: Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist, and his brother Alphonse are on a mission to Hellsalem's Lot.
1. Prologue

SakuraSamuraiGirl

Blood Blockade Battlefront x Fullmetal Alchemist

The Blood Ritual Alchemists

* * *

The whistle of the train shrieked through the wind. The grassy landscape streamed through the window of the box seat. Two passengers sit across from each other. One was a young man in a red coat. Across from him, his companion, his brother in a full suit of armor. The armored passenger had the entire seat to himself. His glowing red eyes watching the green fields and trees. You wouldn't think from their appearance that they were on a mission for the military.

* * *

"Hellsalem's Lot?" Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist questioned his superior, Colonel Roy Mustang, in his office.

"I don't think I ever heard of that city," Edward's little brother, Alphonse Elric, a soul bonded to a suit of armor. His voice echoed from within it.

"Hellsalem's Lot is a young city," Col. Mustang began to explain. "A military outpost far east."

"What's the issue there?" asked Edward.

Mustang was silent for a minute. "These are orders from the top."

Edward and Alphonse could hear it in the colonel's voice. Orders from the top through Mustang usually meant something very big was happening. Most of the time, it was something the military wanted their hands on badly.

"Why send us?" Edward narrowed his eyes. "Why not asked the unit stationed there?"

Mustang sighed, "It is because the top brass finds the unit… strange and their views are frowned upon. To put it simply, they don't trust them."

"W-why? If they don't trust them, why give them jurisdiction over the city?"

"The unit is very powerful. Too good not to have them a part of the military. Most of the personnel are a different sort of alchemist. Their way of alchemy is not very scientific to purist alchemist much like yourself, Edward," Mustang grinned slyly.

Edward glared at the smirk. Nothing good comes from that teasing, smug smile.

"They are called Blood Ritual alchemists. Their alchemy and beliefs follow a more mystical path."

"What?" Edward's frown deepened.

"Blood ritualists use their blood to perform their alchemy. Using blood as raw material and energy to strengthen their alchemic skills. The use of blood is mostly seen by those less knowledgeable of alchemy leaning more towards sorcery."

"You must be joking…"

"I thought that might interest you!" Mustang chuckled. "Anyway, the one in charge of Hellsalem's is an old friend of ours." Mustang nodded to First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye.

The woman gave Edward a folder. Inside were papers and photo. The brothers peered at the photo and jumped. The stern face of stoicism belongs to a man with red hair and piercing green behind a pair of glasses. What made his face fierce was the fanged canine underbite.

"Whoa!" Alphonse gasped. "Those teeth!"

"What is he a chimera?" yelled Ed.

Mustang sighed, "Not quite… all the details are in the files."

"Simply, Colonel Klaus von Reinherz is the youngest child of the von Reinherz family, a noble family that can be traced back to the dark ages. He and Major Armstrong are childhood friends. When he was a very young man he was kidnapped by a rogue alchemist. He was experimented on and the result turned him into a monster."

"He did become a chimera!" asked Alphonse.

"No, something else." Riza shook her head. "To give what he became a name, witnesses who saw him called him… a vampire."

"W-what?! No way, impossible! Vampires aren't real!" Edward yelled.

"Yet, there are reports of him when he was out of control. There were victims, victims who died by having their blood drained completely. His family captured him themselves and imprisoned him within their home. The military finally arrived to retrieve von Reinherz. When they went to claim him, he was cured."

Edward gapped.

"He was no longer a monster."

"Hmph, I bet the military was disappointed," huffed Edward. "So, how was he cured?"

"According to Reinherz, a man, another alchemist had heard of Klaus' situation and said that he could fix him, and he was true to his word, to an extent. Col. von Reinherz has inhuman strength and his blood alchemy is the more powerful over all the blood ritualist combined. Just without the need to drink blood. He was enlisted into the military and he was very willing. He is now known as the Blood Cross Alchemist."

Mustang smiled, "We met Klaus during our training days. If it wasn't for that alchemist and his transformation, he would have lived a quiet lifestyle. His hobbies are gardening and playing chess." He laughed.

Edward frowned and looked at the picture. This brute of a man liked flowers?

"He has a strong sense of justice and a desire for peace."

"Was he with you guys in the Ishvalan war?" asked Alphonse.

Mustang and Riza's face darkened slightly. Whenever the Ishvalan Civil War was brought up, tension always made the air heavy.

"The war… the war nearly broke that man but he kept moving forward. That tragedy broke him down and built him back up again. That made him quite admirable and he gained quite a few loyal followers who followed him when he was assigned to Hellsalem's Lot," explained Mustang.

"Huh," Alphonse tilted his head. "He's sounds kind of like you, sir."

Mustang smiled.

"No," Riza stated firmly. "Colonel Klaus von Reinherz is a better man than Colonel Mustang!"

Edward snorted and laughed. Alphonse tried to smother his own laughter. Mustang bowed his head and fell into a state of depression.

* * *

On the train, the brothers thought of their mission. In Hellsalem's Lot, there were a growing number of deaths. Murders. People being drained of their blood. It was suspected that the alchemist who had turned Klaus von Reinherz into a vampire had returned with a new vampire. Their mission was to capture the alchemist and the vampire.

Alive.

Across the aisle from them, sat two other passengers. A young man and young woman, a little older than the Elrics. They sat side by side of each other. With them was their small luggage and a wheelchair. The young man had messy brown hair. The young woman had light brown hair. Both had their eyes closed, yet they weren't asleep.

"It's been three years since we've been there, huh, Leo?"

"Y-yeah," the young man called Leo fiddled with his camera. "You're right, Michela. Who would of thought that we would be back to that place of our misfortunes."

"Oh," Michela touched his hand. "Leo."


	2. Chapter 1

Blood Blockade Battlefront x Fullmetal Alchemist

The Blood Ritual Alchemists

SakuraSamuraiGirl

* * *

Chapter One

When the train neared Hellsalem's Lot, Edward couldn't help the feeling of apprehension. Alphonse felt strange as well. For on approach, the city could be seen from the mountainside the train was running through. Or at least the location of the city. The city was near a great lake that nearly surrounded it. Also surrounding the city was a great, thick fog that bloomed into a mushroom cloud. Edward wondered how the fog came to be. What allowed it to remain at this time of day? It was a bright sunny day, warm, and blue. Why was the fog there? Also, Edward realized that the train was near empty. Many hours ago, a great majority of passengers had been dropped off. He was asked what his destination was and when it was mentioned Hellsalem's Lot, they acted a bit strange. Almost scared.

"Hellsalem's is a strange place, young man!"

"It's a city where wizards and witches hide in the alleys!"

"There are also rumors of strange beasts that dwell in the sewers and come out when night sets in and hunt in the very streets!"

"Why would you go there? It's crawling with criminals and evil cults!"

That information wasn't in the files. Wizards and witches, criminals, and monsters? Didn't the military put those Blood Ritualists in charge of the city? Maybe the incidents based on the rumors were being unreported. This didn't put Edward's discomfort at ease. Something was really going with this unit and this city, something more besides the reappearance of the vampire-making alchemist.

"Man, probably based on our record, we're being sent to Hellsalem's Lot to shake it up a little."

Alphonse laughed a bit, "Yeah, we do tend to uncover secrets that the military has a hard time trying to dig up. Col. Mustang did mention that Central didn't trust the Blood Ritualists completely."

"They made them into their own unit, just so they could keep them in place and probably check on them from time to time. According to the files, they had sent people to them. They come back badly injured and unable to tell what happened to them. Only going by the reports, the Blood Ritualist made themselves. Half of them mysteriously disappear and the ritualist claim they had no clue. Something is up, and it's our job to get to the bottom of it."

"It does seem suspicious, but Col. Reinherz doesn't sound like a bad guy. Lt. Hawkeye said he was good."

"Yeah, they had nothing but good things to say about him. Well, we're about to see for ourselves."

Alphonse nodded and looked out the window. In the reflection of the window, Alphonse noticed the last two remaining passengers. It was a young man and young woman. Probably a few years older than them but not by much. They looked well-traveled wearing simple clothes with light jackets. The young lady wore a skirt. In her light brown hair was a red ribbon. She was holding the young man's hand. The young man had his eyes closed as well, around his neck that stood out was a pair of goggles.

"Oh, excuse me," Alphonse started, "You're going to Hellsalem's Lot too?"

The young man jumped startled. This startled the girl in turn, "Leo?"

"S-sorry, Michela!" The young man looked at Alphonse, smiling sheepishly.

"I didn't mean to startle you!"

The man, Leo, shook his head, "No, no, no… it's alright, I was in my own little world."

"That's normal!" The young woman, Michela, teased.

Leo glared at his sister. His sister hummed innocently in return. "Anyway," sighed Leo in exasperation. He looked to Alphonse and stared at him.

"Um," Alphonse fidgeted.

Michela lifted her head higher. She pulled at his sleeve, "Leo," she whispered low, "You're… getting lost in your head again."

Leo shook his head, "O-Oh, sorry, sorry! Got lost again!"

"Sorry, my dear big brother can be weird."

"Yeah! They can be!"

"What was that, Alphonse!" Edward growled.

"Oh! You're here with your big brother too! Are you going to Hellsalem's Lot?"

"Yes, we are."

Michela tilted her head, "By yourselves? You two sound so young… though, one of you sounds like your head is stuck in a steel bucket."

"Oh!" Alphonse realized. "You're… blind."

Michela nodded, "Yup."

"Well, you're not wrong about the kid being in a bucket. He's in a suit of armor!" Leo blurted.

"Really!" Michela gasped.

Edward and Alphonse became nervous. Mostly strangers keep to themselves or were polite about Alphonse's attire. These remaining passengers were very curious, especially Leo who kept staring at Alphonse. To Alphonse however, Leo was staring at him, not his armor. It felt like he was staring right through him. At his very soul.

"Y-you're going to Hellsalem's Lot?" Alphonse returned to his question.

"Yeah, we are," the sister confirmed.

"We're looking for a special doctor," Leo explained. "A doctor for my sister's eyes."

"We don't really have to. I'm fine, Leo."

"… But it's my fault that you're blind. As your big brother, I have to take responsibility and get your sight back!"

"Leo."

Edward stared at Leo. He was the older sibling. Something happened to his little sister's sight. Something that he felt responsible for and perhaps guilt. Edward reflected his own responsibilities that had brought him and his brother to their current situation. Years ago, when they were children, he was the driving force to break taboo to bring their mother back. Their mother died due to an illness. In their determination, they paid a great price. He lost his arm and leg, but Al. Al lost his entire body and nearly lost his soul if Edward hadn't bound him to armor. He was determined to fix this grave mistake. Alphonse was his main priority, which is why he gave up his life to be a dog for the military. He felt Leo's own guilt as his own.

The whistle of the train startled them all. The conductor stepped into the car. He looked between the passengers a little surprised.

"We're approaching our destination. Now approaching, Station 76."

"Huh, Station 76?" Edward frowned.

"The train doesn't pull into Hellsalem's Lot," Michela offered an explanation. "The city is… um, a bit dangerous. The train company stopped entering the city three years ago."

The conductor cleared his throat and quickly exited the car. The train stopped as promised 30 miles outside the city limits. The great mushroom cloud nearly loomed over them. The city was hidden in the fog. You couldn't see one brick or rooftop. Edward was bewildered at first. With a great sigh and decided.

"Well, looks like we're walking."

Edward turned to his brother, but he wasn't at his side. He was helping Leo and Michela. Alphonse carried Michela off the train while Leo rolled a wheelchair off the train with their bags. Michela was placed in her chair. She smiled.

"Thank you, Alphonse!"

"No problem."

"How are you going to get to the city?" asked Edward, bewildered once more.

"Oh, if we're lucky enough, someone will drop by the station. Sometimes one or two taxis would come by and make a lot of money picking up people, but it's rare they get passengers. Maybe a farmer would come by along the road…" Leo trailed off.

An older man approaches them.

"Mr. Elric?"

"Yeah, that's me."

The man had a thin frame. Wavy, gray hair curtained the bandages that hid his face away. His kind, grandfatherly eyes, and his push-broom mustache were only visible. He was dressed in a crisp, pressed suit with nary a microscopic glint of lint on him. He bowed to him, placing his pristine white-gloved hand across his shoulder.

"I am Gilbert Altstein. I serve my master, Colonel Klaus von Reinherz."

It was mentioned by word of mouth and in the files that Col. Reinherz that he came from a well-off family. This man was his butler.

"The young master was alerted this morning that you were coming by train. As you have come to realize it no longer pulls into the city. He has sent me to pick you up."

"He didn't have to send his own butler for us," Edward sighed. "We could have walked."

Alphonse looked at the city, down on the Watch siblings, and turned to Gilbert, "Um, if it isn't too much to ask, could they come with us?"

Gilbert looked to Leo and Michela. Mostly upon Michela's chair. He smiled, his mustache rose. "I will be happy to help."

Leo and Michela were shocked. Leo shook his head, "No! No, no, no, I don't want you to get in trouble with your boss… uh, master…or…"

"It is no trouble at all! If the young master was with us he would have been the one to offer a ride."

Leo tried to protest more, but Alphonse lifted Michela once again and Gilbert tucked her chair into the trunk of the car. The car was beyond impressive. The passengers couldn't help but stare before they climbed in very cautiously. Gilbert chuckled at their apprehension. The interior was light and neat with plenty of leg and head room for Alphonse.

"Wow, this car is amazing! I don't think I ever saw this model before!" Alphonse whispered in awe. "And I fit!"

Michela laughed.

"You are about the young master's height, Mr. Fullmetal." Gilbert chuckled.

Alphonse rubbed the back of his head. Edward sighed heavily. Before he could speak. Leo looked to Edward, "By the way, I'm curious… you don't have to answer but, who are you? Being picked up by a Colonel's butler?"

"Are you the colonel's son?" Michela asked.

Gilbert chuckled.

"No, no," Edward laughed. "I'm actually a state alchemist."

"A state alchemist… Oh, I see now… it makes sense."

"Hmm, what makes sense?" Edward asked.

"Begging your pardon, but did you say that you're the state alchemist?" Gilbert glanced at the rear-view mirror.

Edward grinned, "That's right, I'm the Fullmetal Alchemist!"

"Oh my!"

Leo was still staring at Edward. Michela sensed his silence but try to pull him out of it.

The bridge was several miles long going over the great late into the fog. Even on the bridge, you couldn't see the city. Finally, the fog came closer, crawling towards the car. It reached out to them and Edward sucked in a breath, as though he was diving under the water. They were blind for an instant and suddenly, they were in the busy streets of Hellsalem's Lot. Outside the city, it was bright and blue. Inside the fog, in the city, there was a haze making it slightly overcast.

"What's up with this fog?" asked Edward.

"The fog appeared three years. No one can explain yet why it's here, but," Gilbert looked at the Watch siblings, "It could be discussed further once you're introduced to Col. von Reinherz' unit."

Sensing that they were now intruding, Leo asked for Gilbert to drop him off. Gilbert was very kind and drove them to a decent hotel where he knew the owners personally to give them a discount.

"Thank you so much! You are all too kind!" Michela beamed.

"Yeah, we were lucky to have met you. Good luck with your… mission." Leo wished.

"Good luck to you too," Edward returned the wish.

Gilbert returned to the car and drove away. When the car was out of the sight, Leo slouched in relief. He was wearing a navy-blue scarf. Out of the folds of the scarf, a small white monkey with large eyes crawled out of it and climbed onto the top of his head. He petted Leo with a curious chirp. Michela touched his hand.

"Leo, what did you see."

"Edward had seen the Truth. He had stood in front of the Door. Him and his brother. Alphonse doesn't have a body. He is a soul bound to that armor."

Michela was quiet.

"A two boys who had approached the gate. The boy in red and the armored soul. Those two are who you're assigned to watch over."

"Yeah, they are."

The architecture of the city was very strange the Elrics noticed on the way to the city's military headquarters. From the bridge and throughout the city, it had an old gothic feel. In addition to the gothic-style was the strange and alien beings posed as statues, the gargoyles weren't normal gargoyles. The designs were surreal, from beyond this world. So absorbed of the cityscape environment they didn't realize they had stopped at headquarters until Gilbert opened the door for them. The headquarters building was just as elaborate. It was a fusion of the ye-olde fashioned fused with modern military post architecture. Inside, it was quite elaborate with toned down lighting, marble floors and wallpaper in art deco. From the entrance, it led into a long hall to a small compartment. Gilbert pressed a button for them and it opened automatically. Both Edward and Alphonse flinched away from the door.

"What?!" They gasped.

"This is an elevator. This unit works closely with a team of engineers They designed this mechanism as well as the car. Don't worry, it's safe."

Gilbert held his hand towards the elevator, guiding the brothers in. Once inside, Gilbert joined them and pressed a button. The elevator hummed, and the compartment jerked up and rose. Edward felt gravity trying to drag his stomach back down to earth. He felt a little queasy, but the ride up was smooth. The doors opened to another hallway. Music, vocal classical, drifted from the double doors on the other side of the hall. They followed Gilbert to the door and it was opened for them by the butler. The office was magnificent, continuing with the theme of art deco. The color was added to the office for on nearly every surface there was a potted plant. The planets were very healthy and well-kept. In the corner of the room, stood Colonel Klaus von Reinherz, water one of the planets.

"Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist and his young brother, Alphonse Elric from Central."

Col. Reinherz finished his watering before he set the can down. He turned to the Elrics. There were two desks in the office. The largest desk definitely belonged to the colonel before the floor to ceiling windows. Another desk was on the wall side. Another man, less tall than the colonel stood from his own desk. He had dark, slightly wavy hair, a long and handsome nose, and a scar on the side of his face that looked like a lightning bolt.

"Welcome to Hellsalem's Lot, Fullmetal."

Col. von Reinherz was looking dead at Alphonse. Edward sighed, Alphonse shifted nervously, and Gilbert's mustache smiled.

"You certainly live up to your name with that armor."

Gilbert cleared his throat, "Pardon me, young master, but the one in armor is Alphonse Elric. The young man in the red coat is the Fullmetal Alchemist, sir."

Both of the men in the office were surprised.

"This kid?" The man with dark hair blinked.

"Ah, Mr. Elric, I do apologize for my assumption, forgive me."

Edward sighed deeply, "It happens. A lot." He grumbled.

"My apologies," the colonel apologized. He appeared to be very abashed for his mistake.

Edward smiled. From what he had heard from Mustang and Riza, Klaus was a good man. Very decent and kind.

"Well," the other man in the room spoke up, "Let's get down to business, shall we? Central sent you because they heard about our vampire problem."

"Seriously. Vampires?" Edward takes a seat on the very comfy sofa.

The man with the scarred cheek introduced himself as Lieutenant Colonel Steven Starphase. Edward raised an eyebrow at his name, but the Lt. Col. just gave him a mysterious smile.

"Oh, yes, vampires indeed," Steven confirmed. "The Vampire creator has returned."

Klaus' face darkened and a deep low growled rolled out of him. Edward and Alphonse shuddered at the horrible, animalistic sound. He turned his back on them, looking out the window behind his desk. His large hands were clasped behind his back as he stood tall and straight.

"… I know Central sent you to apprehend the alchemist and his creations, Mr. Elric."

"Yep, that's the mission." Edward confirmed, "I've read in your files that you were under his experimentation. You claimed that you couldn't remember anything. That's not true, is it? You know who he is. The alchemist that changed you."

"…." Klaus turned to Edward. They stared at each other for a minute. "I do."

"Sir!" Steven frowned.

"I too have heard of you. You are a gift and curse to the military. You have this habit of digging too deep into military business, so they send you away into the business of others. But, then you managed to reveal something not meant to be known. Sometimes it is beneficial to Central, other times it makes Central nervous. Col. Mustang had explained this to me. If that is true, I say," Klaus looked to Steven and nodded, "We can trust you."

Steven sighed and shrugged, "It's your call, big guy."

"I believe we can trust you from this point on, Edward Elric and Alphonse Elric. We can assume that you have no intentions of bringing the alchemist to Central."

"No, from what I know he's a dangerous man who turned you into a dangerous creature. You were lucky that some other alchemist came along and cured you. I want to know everything! I want to know what happened."

Klaus nodded and took a seat at his desk.

"I was a young man when it happened. I was with my brothers at a gathering. I went out alone for fresh air. I wasn't the man that you see me now. I was what one would call book-wormy. Scrawny. Preferred to remain indoors." Klaus smiled. "Alex would drag me out for jogs and morning workouts. He was the foundation for my knowledge of boxing and brawling. Back then I was grateful for his visits were few and far. Mostly devoted to books, my garden, and chess playing. Went out and I was attacked from behind. Something sunk their teeth into me." Klaus touched the side of his neck. "When I think about it, I can feel those fangs into me!" He took a deep, long breath and exhaled slowly. "It is possible that I passed out from the pain and shock. The experience was a blur. I recall getting bitten more than once, voices, and the Count."

"The Count?" asked Alphonse.

"The Count is an alchemist that is long-lived. Perhaps several hundred years old. His knowledge of alchemy was expansive! He also had knowledge of other science, medicine, engineering, and so much more. His name is Dracule, Count Dracule."

Edward and Alphonse were too stunned to make a sound.

"Count Dracule has a plan. He wanted to make more vampires like himself. He wanted to create an army to rule over the human race as he and his creation's masters. I was the first type of soldier-vampire. The Count was very pleased by my evolution. We were going to leave but my family managed to locate me and carry me off. I put up a struggle and I… hurt many people in my household." Klaus looked to Gilbert.

"Master Klaus, please, I had long forgiven you. I don't blame you, never had blamed you."

Edward and Alphonse realized the implications. Klaus attacked Gilbert and it was probably why the butler resembled a mummy! Klaus sighed sadly.

"Then, out of nowhere, a man showed up at the door. He introduced himself as Blitz Abrams. He was an expert of the supernatural and an alchemist. He promised that he might be able to cure me and there was a great possibility that I wouldn't survive the cure. I took my chances and agreed to be an experiment. I was mostly cured but my appearance was forever changed. He stayed as a guide and disappeared before the military arrived and that is my story. Haven't seen him since, but he writes from time to time."

"Mr. Abrams sounds like an alchemist who is into bio-alchemy. It's too bad that we can't speak to him."

"I will make sure to mention you in the next letter I write to him. Now, I'm sure you exhausted by the journey. Please, rest for the day. We'll discuss further our move and take you to the first crime scenes tomorrow. Hm, Sergeant Renfro should be here by now." Klaus looked at the door.

Steven sighed, "That sergeant probably slept in late from his nightly conquest."

Klaus sighed and stood up. "Very well, I'll take you to your rooms."

Edward and Alphonse were stunned. A high-ranking officer was willing to personally take them to where they would be living. Colonel Klaus von Reinherz was indeed a good man.

Leo and Michela had settled in their hotel room. Michela by the window with Sonic in her lap. Sonic purred as his ear was rubbed just as he liked it. The radio was playing music and she hummed along with the tune. Leo left the bathroom refreshed and redressed. He sat on the bed and looked over his sister. His sister turned her face towards him.

"So, what now? We found the one Riga had sent to find."

Leo sighed and ruffled his hair, "Don't know. It was fine to look for them with what little information we were given. But to find out that those two are a part of the military."

Leo stood up and paced.

"Right, I've almost forgotten about that. They're supposed to be just kids… but they work for the military. If the military found out about your eyes!"

Leo rested his hands on the oak vanity. He looked into the mirror and opened his eyes. His eyes were not ordinary human eyes. They were made from blue glass craved in runes of language, not of their world. Leo snapped his eyes shut.

"They'll never let me go and I wouldn't be able to take care of you! I'll be trapped and the homunculus…"

Michela bit her lip. She clung to the blanket draped over her legs. Sonic sat up and hugged her arm.

"They'll kill you for your eyes to take to their father."

"We can't let that happen!" Leo sighed and took a breath. "We'll have to learn more about the Elrics and see if they can be trusted."

The Elrics were given a room in the dormitory building. The dorms were in another building attached to headquarters. There room looked like a very nice apartment, continuing the art deco theme. The bed was very nice! Edward almost sunk into the blankets and mattress. After putting their suitcases away, the brothers had a huddle.

"The Blood Ritualists have their own agenda. They are very bold to disregard with Central. But I agree with them. Something is going on in Central and we had both agreed it's something to do with the Philosopher's Stone."

Alphonse nodded, "Right. They don't want Central to get the Vampire creator or his vampire. Tomorrow, they're going to take us to the crime scene."


End file.
